Waterlooplein / Fleamarkets, Amsterdam

I just had to see this place, even though we had been told the quality of goods wasn't great ... our canal tour took us past during the earlier part of the day, and when I saw baby pot plants for sale, I knew I had to take a look!

Most of the stuff was of cheap quality, and not something I wanted to take home ... but I did find a few good buys: body jewelry, saraongs, and a couple of nic-nacs. There are about 300 stalls, so you can find something appropriate if you take the time!

This is located near some other attractions, so I reccomend a 'look-see' if you are in the area - but don't reccommend making a special trip. Most of the folks we talked to reccommended the Alert Cyup Markets instead, but we just didn't have the time to make it over there :)

What to buy: The weblink attached has information on the history of this market, as well as pictures, movies, and information on surrounding attractions :)

The Waterlooplein Fleamarket is the main fleamarket of Amsterdam. Like all fleamarkets there is something here for everyone from antiques to just plain junk. Mostly there is secondhand clothing, jewellary, rare books and decorative assessories to spruce up your household. There are also lots of musical intsruments from places all over the globe. Personally I found the place very atmospheric.
The fleamarket is located in Waterlooplein in what was at onetime the Jewish Quarter. It was the location of a very tragic episode in Amsterdam's history for it was here that the Nazi's rounded up the local Jewish population before deporting them to their concentration camps. Prior to the Second World War, Waterlooplein had been the home of the local Jewish market. The fleamarket was a revival in some ways of this original market.
The market is open six days a week and is closed on Sundays.

What to pay: Prices vary according to whatever you want to buy.

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The Waterlooplein market is a combination of fleamarket, street market and some loose vendors.

What to buy: Half of the stalls have clothes (even ex-theater costumes). You will find leather - silk, fur and cotton.

I normally look for records (50 Eurocent for a 7'' single).

But there is more like tools, tape, books, bicycles; the usual fleamarket stuff.

What to pay: Less than in the shops

The Waterlooplein flea Market is a paradise for those who likes unique stuff. most of it looks like trash but a little part of it is true treasure. Really worth visiting!

What to buy: Clother, jewerly, music, books, tools, glass... everything is so colorful... found some nice Indian purse and a bracelet there. you could find cool smoking pipes or pictures that move when you look at them.

What to pay: It really depends on what you're buying but expect to pay less than what it would cost in a store.

Enjoy the fact to mess around on a search for that one funny item. Well, Amsterdam has markets enough where you can do so. A perfect and permanent example is the fleamarket on the Waterloo-plein (=square). This place, centrally situated near the "Stopera" can keep you busy for a few hours and ... hold on to your wallet. Not only because of pickpocekters, but especially so you don't return home with all kinds of ... well ... mess.

The name "Waterlooplein", which translates as "Waterloo Square", was used for the first time in 1880, when the city filled in two canals, the "Leprozengracht" and the "Houtgracht", forming a new square.
The original outdoor market dates from 1893 when the mostly Jewish market, then located on and around the "Jodenbreestraat"with other stalls on surrounding streets, was forced by the governement to move on to Waterloo Square itself. The forced move aroused some strong feelings. The Waterloo Square outdoor market in the late 1900's was a bustling place, operating six days a week, being closed, of course, on saterday, the Jewish Sabbath. This was the place where you could literally find almost anything. The horrors of Wold War II with mass extermination of Jews by Nazi Germany forever marked the end of the old Jewish market. Even though it was restored after the war, it never was to regain its old orginal flavor and style.

What to buy: Where can you find the hottest, most trendy fashions? The "waterlooplein"market of course! The market people knoe exactly what's in, what's hot (and what's not!) and what is about to be "cool new stuff". An incredible array of clothing, shoes, hats, leather goods and so on, re available at the Waterloo Market. If a new fashion hasn't yet been defined, the market people often become trend-setters and can actually dictate fashion. Like a few years ago, they began selling fur coats in the middle of the summer. The hip, "now"culture had to have a fur coat for summer wear. And now days the Waterloo Market is still defining the latest "look"for new wave amsterdam. To top off that "look" there is a rich international selection of accessories. How about an African mask? A neat pair of German "lederhosen"? A handmade batik from Indonesian? An orginal RAF jacket? man "lederhöse"? A batik from Indonesian? A original RAF jacket? You can find all these things and more....and don't forget one-of-a-kind antiques, curiosities and an incredible selection of second hand books in many languages. They're all for sale at the Waterloo Flea Market!

Sterk Staaltje is a great shop for fresh food (fruits, vegatables, bread and much much more).
Takeaway salades and pasta's.
Catering service available.

Business hours:
Mo-Fr: 8AM - 7PM
Sa: 8AM - 6PM
Su: 11AM - 6PM

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Amsterdam can be expensive. There's a lot of good shopping to be had if you have a thick wallet but there's also a way to keep to a budget. Waterlooplein has a good sized flea market with loads of stalls to browse and budget prices to please. It's an outdoor market, no coverage from the weather but on a sunny, breezy morning, it's a great way to spend an hour or two. We did just that and though didn't buy a whole lot, did find a few souvenirs that were reasonable and some leather wrist bands we'd been looking for.

The flea market is in the old Jewish quarter of the city and nearby are the Jewish Historic musuem. Also in the area is Rembrandthuis, the Hermitage, the "Skinny bridge" over the Amstel, the pretty "Blauw" (blue) bridge, and the opera house. Not too far from here also, is ARtis, a large park with a zoo and the Dutch Resistance musem is near there as well.

What to buy: You can get a wide variety of items here, books, dvds, clothes, shoes, fabric, souvenirs, hand crafts, ornaments and jewellry and more.

What to pay: variety of prices

A wonderful array of colourful bric a brac right on a pretty canal. Buy clubbing gear cheap - of the candy raver variety - second hand books, clothes and watches (?). Of course the token bongs, pipes and 'parephenalia' feature heavily, as do psychedelic postcards and tie-dyed clothes (an atrocity even in Amsterdam).

What to pay: Not much!

This friendly gentleman was out in the rain and helped me get a pair of jeans so I had something weather-appropriate to wear.

What to buy: Jeans, jackets, boots, hats, purses, ties, assorted items from the 1950's to the 70's about which the shop owner seems very knowledgeable.

What to pay: 15E for a pair of jeans in good condition.